 "Better than expected" | 2009-11-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A12UH1W48633F1 |
| Decided to rehab/remodel my house entirely and frame in some walls where none existed. i thought of all of the hammering and my arthritis and decided to buy a framing nailer. Looked at other reviews here on Amazon and decided on the Porter Cable. It was everything that every one said it was; dependable, powerful and up to the task. I've finished framing 6 walls and then decided to drop my ceiling. Couldn't have done it without this framing nailer. |
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 "Good Gun but jams are hard to fix" | 2009-11-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1YQ88JSUSOJ8L |
Porter cable makes great tools (Lefty saw, routers, sanders ect) and this is no exception. I have a framing company and own 6 hitachi NR83's and am pretty much dedicated to them. However I ended up with one of these PC's and much to my suprise i was impressed.
The gun can take a beating and still keep nailing which is very important, uses plastic collated nails which work with my other guns and are easily found anywhere, depth adjustments can be made on the tool saving trips to the compressor, well balanced, and easy to use.
Downsides; clearing jams. I have found that most backloading guns are a real pain in @$$, and not firing the last 3 nails. I have never liked or understood the reason for this feature on any nail gun but it is what it is.
As you can see only 2 real issues that are bad and everything else is just great. I highly recomend this gun to homeowners, DIY guys, and framers looking to buy their own gun and cant afford the Hitachi NR83. Porter Cable makes good tools for evryone from rookies to the pros and you will be satisfied with your purchase for many years to come.
Rick "Main Frame" Payne |
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 "Epic FAIL on the redesign" | 2009-08-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3CQA1YEXQ1F0X |
| I recently bought the FR350A as a companion to my well loved, 8 year old FR350 that has shot tens of thousands of nails through the construction of at least 5 houses and two restaurants. As a general contractor, I have come to rely on Porter Cable for no nonsense, well designed, reliable tools. This nailer is definitely a disappointment. The most prominent design change is the nail rack. On the original FR350, you pull open the magazine feeder and lock it at the back of the rack. this leaves an opening in which to drop the strips. On the FR350A, you have to feed them into the rack and past the feeder. This results in jams when any strip isnt perfectly straight and intact. Also, since you cant open the rack, you cant just let any incomplete strips fall out the back of the gun. It also makes it very difficult to clear jams. Additionally, when plugged in side by side with my older FR350, at the same pressure, the new one didn't drive nails nearly as hard or deep, even with the flush tip set all the way up. The sign at the Depot said "New Lower Price!" I can only imagine how they achieved that price drop, it certainly wasn't by making the tool better. I'll be returning this asap and buying the Hitachi, even though it's $100 more. |
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| "Great gun, BUYER BEWARE of Nail prices." | 2009-07-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1MQV2MN34LPPZ |
| Check prices at local stores before purchasing nails. Gun is great. Nails overprices at least 3 times. |
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| "A nailer for professionals" | 2009-07-27 |
| - Reviewed By erichzackdog |
I've owned the Porter Cable FR350 framing nailer for going on 10 years and have relatively little to complain about it. The FR350 is a well built, robust, quality framing nailer. It's a good alternative to buying the Hitachi NA83AS group of framers. Less expensive by around $40.00. It comes in a decent plastic carrying case with recesses for a few bands of nails and the tools you'll need to adjust it with.
I've dropped it off of roofs on to decks and into the dirt. Half the time it survived intact and the other half required a trip to the repair shop where it was easily and inexpensively repaired. This is one durable nailer. It balances well and I swing the head of the gun like a club to beat studs into position before shooting them. Tool abuse? Nope, that's what you call tool performance.
On the negative side - the reasons I didn't give it five stars:
1 - No tool-less depth of drive adjustment. You have to get a small hex key out of the case to adjust it.
2 - In the event of jams the front of the gun does not remove or swing out to allow clearing of a jammed nail without that same little hex key.
3 - The plastic latches on the case fall apart after about a month in your gang box or the back of your pick-up. I replaced mine with 1" nylon straps and a couple of large snaps.
4 - It's made in China.
Remember: To a hammer the world is a nail. |
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| "To a hammer the world is a nail." | 2009-07-27 |
| - Reviewed By erichzackdog |
I've owned the Porter Cable FR350 framing nailer for going on 11 years and have relatively little to complain about it. The FR350 is a well built, robust, quality framing nailer. It's a good alternative to buying the Hitachi NA83AS group of framers. Less expensive by around $40.00 +. It comes in a decent plastic carrying case with recesses for a few bands of nails and the tools you'll need to adjust it with.
I've dropped it off of roofs on to decks and into the dirt. Half the time it survived intact and the other half required a trip to the repair shop where it was easily and inexpensively repaired. This is one durable nailer. It balances well and I swing the head of the gun like a club to beat studs into position before shooting them. Tool abuse? Nope, that's what you call tool performance.
You can buy a rafter hook for it but installing it requires drilling a hole in the magazine. No big deal. Afterwards, to get the gun with the rafter hook installed, to fit inside of the case you'll have to chop a little plastic out.
On the negative side - the reasons I didn't give it five stars:
1 - No tool-less depth of drive adjustment. You have to get a small hex key out of the case to adjust it.
2 - In the event of jams the front of the gun does not remove or swing out to allow clearing of a jammed nail without that same little hex key.
3 - The plastic latches on the case fall apart after about a month in your gang box or the back of your pick-up. I replaced mine with 1" nylon straps and a couple of large snaps.
4 - It's made in China.
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